European Commission aware of Operation Forrest Gump, reiterates "zero tolerance for corruption"

The European Commission is aware of the latest developments in Ukraine related to the Forrest Gump anti-corruption operation and has reiterated that fighting corruption is a central requirement for EU candidate countries.

Source: a European Commission spokesperson in response to a question from a European Pravda correspondent in Brussels

Details: Commenting in the context of Operation Forrest Gump, the European Commission reminded Ukraine that fighting corruption must remain a central priority for a country seeking EU membership.

"We are aware of the latest developments. As you know, we do not comment on individual cases. Let us be clear: the EU maintains a zero-tolerance policy on corruption," the spokesperson told European Pravda.

"We recall that the fight against corruption is a central element for any country to join the European Union," he added.

The European Commission representative said the process "requires continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and money laundering through effective prevention, investigation and prosecution, as well as to ensure the respect for the rule of law".

"The role of independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law as a future Member State, must be safeguarded," the European Commission stressed.

Background:

• On 21 August, ambassadors of EU member states to Ukraine met with Semen Kryvonos and Oleksandr Klymenko, the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
• The meeting took place amid the exposure by NABU and SAPO of an alleged scheme in which individuals implicated in Operation Forrest Gump sought to seize properties and other assets through corporate raiding by interfering with the operation of Justice Ministry networks.
• A SAPO prosecutor listed the individuals mentioned in the Forrest Gump and Themis cases. They include former Deputy Head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra, former MP Maksym Mykytas and current MP Vadym Stolar.

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